gold is money ... gold coins used by crusaders, page-19

Horsa

I am a historian from the “Determinist” School. (A generation ago I would have been called a “Marxist historian”.) That means that there is barely an ounce of romance in my soul (if I had a soul). I don’t see intangible motivations such as heroism, ideology or beliefs as prime motivators in history. I see history as driven by “base” motivations like greed and fear and changes in economic relationships. (If you want know why things happen, follow the money!)

The discovery of the horde of gold coins concurs with my rather pessimistic view of human nature and the history it leaves behind. It confirms that the crusaders were plunderers. This is consistent with what we know about their carving out of Kingdoms, Fiefdoms and other expressions of political power.

There is very little surviving evidence of higher motivations, such as faith and courage. I don’t doubt that they were a factor in the crusading tradition, but I question whether they were strong enough in themselves to compel huge armies to the edge of the known world.

I think they went for the gold.

Cheers